Demons streak past Hawks

All it took was one batter.

Mackenzie Knutson got on base to start the bottom of the fifth for the Washington softball team, and then the Demons seemed unstoppable.

Soon, the bases were loaded for freshman Megan Strabala, who singled in a run.

Freshman Megan Mitchell followed that up with a go-ahead two-RBI double, putting Washington on top of Central Lee 3-2.

As if right on cue, freshman Morgan Brinning followed her up with a two-RBI double of her own, as the Demons exploded for five no-out runs in the bottom of the fifth.

That big inning was the difference in the game, as the Demons went on to defeat the Lady Hawks 5-2 in the regular season finale.

?That?s what this team can do,? Washington softball head coach Angie Shrader said. ?It?s one of those situations where you just need one person on, and it?s a snowball effect. It?s a contagious effect; they just have to believe in themselves, and think, ?I can do that.??

The victory marks the first three-game winning streak of the season for the Demons (7-26) as they look ahead to postseason play on Thursday night.

Of the team?s seven wins, five have come in the last 10 games, as they have reached their hottest point of the season.

?We have more intensity than we did at the beginning of the season and everyone is more confident in their hitting,? Brinning said. ?We need to keep it going on Thursday.?

In the circle, the Demons had an equally impressive defensive performance from Knutson.

Outside of a two-run second inning, the junior only gave up one hit to Central Lee, and struck out two, as she pitched a complete game four-hitter on Tuesday.

?(After the second inning) I had to switch my pitching,? Knutson said. ?I had a lot of help. We?ve got closer as a team this season, and that helped.?

Shrader noted that the Demons? pitchers have been able to be strong lately due to some extra time off, and the confidence in the bench.

?We?ve been able to rotate our pitchers in and out, and we?ve been able to give them a few more days of rest in between,? Shrader said. ?We aren?t going back-to-back as much, and we have had success with our pitchers hitting their spots this year. They know that if they get in trouble, someone else can pick up the slack.?

After a solo homerun in the second inning, the Lady Hawks tacked on another run on a two-out RBI single and seemed to cruise until the fifth inning.

Following Mitchell?s double, which put Washington ahead, Brinning said that she couldn?t wait to come up and get a double of her own.

?I had a lot of energy,? Brinning said. ?There were a lot of people cheering and I really wanted to hit that ball because there were two people on base.?

Brinning?s two RBIs put her on top of the team in that category with 16 on the year.

Entering the season with a young squad, Shrader noted that she knew some rough patches might be in store for this team early on in the year, but now that the team has a full year of softball under their belt, they are displaying their full potential.

?We are to a point in the season where we are starting to get things figured out,? Shrader said. ?Everyone is starting to feel more comfortable in their spots and that?s helping. When you are starting a bunch of freshmen and eighth-graders, and it?s a completely different level from JV to varsity. Having success on the scoreboard helps them gain some confidence.?

With the regular season over, the Demons will focus their attention on the first round of regionals, where they face conference rival Fairfield on Thursday.

The No. 14 ranked Trojans have won four of their last seven games coming into the tournament, and swept the Demons in the season series, but Washington firmly believes that the pressure is all on Fairfield for this matchup.

?Obviously we?ve been playing better softball this past week and a half, and we start a new season on Thursday,? Shrader said. ?We have no pressure on us, because both teams we?d be scheduled to face, probably are expected to win, and we just get to go play softball and whatever happens, happens.?

First pitch for the regional matchup is at 7 p.m. in Fairfield.